(Hartford,
CT) – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Senator Chris Murphy
(D-Conn.), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-3) and Congressman Joe Courtney (D-2)
announced today the award of three federal fire Operations and Safety Grants to
improve fire safety and operations in Middletown, the Wauregan Fire District in
Plainfield and Willington. The grant is part of the Assistance to Firefighters
Grant program administered by FEMA.

The South
Fire District of Middletown received $165,300 to provide expanded rescue core
training certification for the district’s 30 firefighters, including
specialized training for confined spaces and vehicle and machine technicians.
The training will take place at the Connecticut Fire Academy in Windsor Locks.

“The South Fire District greatly
appreciates the support from our congressional delegation. If incidents arise
within our district or in other departments that we assist with in mutual aide,
we will be better prepared and trained for these types of emergencies,”
said Acting Chief Steven Krol.

"This type of training is critical as
firefighters are continually tasked with more demanding responsibilities. I'm
pleased that the brave men and women of the South Fire Department will have access
to this state of the art training,” said Middletown Mayor Dan
Drew.

The Wauregan Fire District / Atwood Hose Fire Company received an AFG
Operations and Safety grant in the amount of $73,150 that will allow the fire
company to replace outdated self-contained breathing apparatuses over 20 years
old with 14 new units built to the latest standards. The department
currently has only 10 in service.

“The Assistance to
Firefighters Grant will allow the Atwood Hose Fire Company to purchase state of
the art breathing apparatus to ensure our fire fighters are protected as they
provide first responder services to the citizens of the Wauregan and Dyer Manor
Fire Districts,” said Wauregan Fire District / Atwood Hose Fire
Company Fire Chief Bob Duval.

“This is great news to
this small fire district. This additional revenue will go a long way to relieve
a lot of pressure for this district,” said Plainfield First
Selectman Paul Sweet.

The Willington Fire Department #1 received an AFG Operations and Safety grant
in the amount of $49,400, which will allow for the installation of a vehicle
exhaust system in the North Willington Station.

“This grant will allow
for the installation of a vehicle exhaust system in our North Willington
Station. Once completed, this system will contribute to the overall safety of
both the career and volunteer personnel by greatly reducing exhaust emissions
within the station which have been proven to be a large contributing factor in
the development of cancer in firefighters. We thank the delegation for this
support and look forward to the installation of the system,”
said Tyler F. Millix, Fire Chief Willington Fire Department Inc.

“This grant will allow
the Town of Willington to address a pressing safety concern and we are thankful
for the support.” Willington First Selectman Christina Mailhos.

“Connecticut has received fourteen
federal grants this fiscal year to protect our firefighters and residents.
Firefighters in Middletown, Plainfield, Willington and throughout the state put
their lives on the line every day to protect ours, and they deserve the best
training and equipment available. I will continue to advocate for Connecticut
first responders to ensure that every firefighter has access to the training
and life-saving equipment they need to protect themselves as they protect us,”
Senator Blumenthal said.

“These grants will provide critical
support to help firefighters continue their lifesaving work safely and
effectively. I’m proud to support the incredible work of our firefighters, who
put their lives on the line to protect our communities day in and day out,”
said Senator Murphy.

“Last week’s events are a reminder that
we need to ensure our first responders have the most up to date equipment and
training to help keep them safe in such dangerous jobs,” said
Congresswoman DeLauro. “I
am grateful that this funding will provide exactly that to the brave rescue
workers and first responders who do the important work of keeping the
Middletown community safe.”

“As we see consistently
in fire emergencies, state-of-the-art equipment—whether breathing apparatuses
or communications equipment—is absolutely essential to firefighters and their
ability to respond effectively,” said Congressman Courtney.
“These targeted
investments will make our first responders safer, and will allow the
departments to better serve the people of Wauregan, Willington, and the
surrounding areas. The departments deserve a tremendous amount of credit for
demonstrating need in a challenging funding environment.”

These are
the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth federal firefighting grants awarded in
Connecticut in Fiscal Year 2013. Middletown received $1.14 million to hire
eight additional firefighters and Waterbury received $2.9 million to hire new
fire recruits through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response
(SAFER) and Assistance to Firefighters grant programs administered by FEMA.
Seymour, Middletown, East Hartford, Shelton, Norwalk, Torrington, Southington
and Waterbury also received grants to support operations and safety measures.